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Caribou council reviews 2026 department budgets as fire chief seeks large ladder-truck installment
Summary
City department heads outlined 2026 operating and capital requests Monday, with Fire & Ambulance seeking a $625,000 first installment on a new ladder truck and other departments flagging fleet and facility replacements; council asked about leasing, voter-approval constraints and budget assumptions.
Caribou — The Caribou City Council on Feb. 9 heard department-by-department budget presentations that will shape the city's upcoming municipal budget discussions, with the Fire & Ambulance Department's capital plan drawing particular attention.
Chief LaJoy told the council the department's 2026 capital request totals about $1,271,500, and that roughly half of that amount is a $625,000 first installment for a replacement ladder truck. "Estimates to get a truck by the time it's ordered to deliver it is about 4 years," LaJoy said, adding the truck must be custom-built to fit the station. He said replacement estimates have risen dramatically over his tenure and that a new ladder truck is likely to require voter approval because the project exceeds the city's charter threshold for referenda.
LaJoy also outlined other capital priorities: remounts for ambulances (including $100,000 installments), apparatus-bay door replacements, replacement…
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